Why Do People Want To Go To Vet Schools?!?!

[stephano]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey, I've thinking about this topic alot lately as the 2012 application cycle is coming "almost" to an end, and I just wanted to hear your 2 cents about it. So I've been reading this and that and hearing this and that, and it seems like Vet school cost sooooo freaking much money. (depending on IS or OOS) Not only that it is wicked hard to get in with almost 99% of applicants being well beyond the "qualified" and so on. On top of that, it seems like more and more graduating Vet school students are worrying about jobs/can't find 'em. (whether this is an increasing trend or not... i don't know) So with all this "side-effects" of getting into Vet school, what are the things that keeps you going?? I've crapped out on my GRE and I've been somewhat pessimistic about the whole event 🙁... sorry about bringing the negative vibe to the forum... but I really wanna hear yall stories!


Thanks for reading my rambling!

 

[New Foundland]

A couple points..


- Yes, it's very expensive. Personally, I had the incredible foresight to be born Canadian, and so my costs are relatively cheap.


- Yes it's hard to get in. Programs that end with you being awarded the title "Dr." are rarely easy to get in to.


- Yes, job prospects have taken a downturn for most college graduates. Keep in mind that there is always a reliable fallback option - a steady job working at the frozen banana stand.


- The trick to the GRE is to only study the math, and improvise the rest.


- What keeps me going? lolcats:

 

[smilin1590]

A couple points..


- Yes, it's very expensive. Personally, I had the incredible foresight to be born Canadian, and so my costs are relatively cheap.


- Yes it's hard to get in. Programs that end with you being awarded the title "Dr." are rarely easy to get in to.


- Yes, job prospects have taken a downturn for most college graduates. Keep in mind that there is always a reliable fallback option - a steady job working at the frozen banana stand.


- The trick to the GRE is to only study the math, and improvise the rest.


- What keeps me going? lolcats:

Your post cracked me up this morning! I have to take the new GRE so that blows cause apparently nobody knows how to study for it 😛

 

[SocialStigma]

I just can't see myself doing anything else (aside from being a human doctor but I wouldn't be as happy as an MD). Love medicine and surgery. Haven't really thought about job prospects...I'll think about that when I'm in 4th year 😛.

I'm lucky in that OVC is my in-province so it only costs ~$8000/year, which is only slightly more than undergrad. Not sure what I would do if it was $20k+ because my parents/I sure as hell couldn't afford that with my younger sister also going into university in 2 years.

 

[stephano]

A couple points..


- Yes, it's very expensive. Personally, I had the incredible foresight to be born Canadian, and so my costs are relatively cheap.


- Yes it's hard to get in. Programs that end with you being awarded the title "Dr." are rarely easy to get in to.


- Yes, job prospects have taken a downturn for most college graduates. Keep in mind that there is always a reliable fallback option - a steady job working at the frozen banana stand.


- The trick to the GRE is to only study the math, and improvise the rest.


- What keeps me going? lolcats:

haha thanks.. that lightens me up a bit!
But I wasn't thinking like drastic difference such as banana stand.. that can be hard.. who know? but there could be lot of alternative jobs that can put you in better position in terms of finance and "success" (depends on the definition i guess? 😛). I guess my question is why choose this job vs something else that you could possibly do that's "better" than being a vet?

 

[stephano]

I just can't see myself doing anything else (aside from being a human doctor but I wouldn't be as happy as an MD). Love medicine and surgery. Haven't really thought about job prospects...I'll think about that when I'm in 4th year 😛.

I'm lucky in that OVC is my in-province so it only costs ~$8000/year, which is only slightly more than undergrad. Not sure what I would do if it was $20k+ because my parents/I sure as hell couldn't afford that with my younger sister also going into university in 2 years.

8000/yr .... so two people who reply are from Canada.. anyone from the states want to back them up in why you want/should be a vet???
Boo in state's tuition btw, specially with changes with loans we'll most likely be using once in the vet school 👎

 

[squirrelsrule]

I think it comes down to what matters to you. Do you want to "risk" it and go after something you truly love, knowing that you will never be rich or do you want to go with the "safer" options with more money and more jobs? For me, I know that working with animals is what I want to do. Tried the animal care stuff and it isn't what I want to do. Got into wildlife rehab and realized that the aspect of that that kept me going was medically treating the animals and getting them healthy again. So, I thought about it and decided being a vet is more in line with what I want to do. So, I am going for it. It will be expensive and a lot of work, but for me it is so worth it and there aren't any better options for me.

 

[sunshinevet]

haha thanks.. that lightens me up a bit!
But I wasn't thinking like drastic difference such as banana stand.. that can be hard.. who know? but there could be lot of alternative jobs that can put you in better position in terms of finance and "success" (depends on the definition i guess? 😛). I guess my question is why choose this job vs something else that you could possibly do that's "better" than being a vet?

The answer to this question is that if you feel there is something out there that you could do that is "better" than being a vet, you don't become a vet. A lot of people on this forum have struggled with the idea of the finances etc, but at the end of the day, have felt its worth the sacrifice because its not worth not being a vet. Whether or not its worth the sacrifice is a personal thing, entirely up to you.

 

[GellaBella]

I would have been happy being an MD, I love medicine and surgery and the ability to actually make a difference in a persons life. That would have been a potentially smarter financial decision.

At the end of the day, I chose veterinary medicine because I had two (viable) options before me 1) go to medical school and make a difference in someone's life. sometimes those people and their families would be good people and I would be happy. sometimes those people and their families would be ungrateful f*cks, and I'd still be happy but less satisfied, or 2) go into veterinary medicine and make a difference in an animals life. An animal that can't speak, that might have been abused, that might have had something going on for a long time before their owner brought them in.

It's a bit more of a puzzle to figure out what is wrong and there is a bit more freedom to try something different if something conventional isn't working. Their owners might still be ungrateful or rude, but I'll know I did my best to alleve the suffering of an animal, and that to me strikes me as being more significant than doing the same to a human.

I also like the fact that I will be primary care physician, dentist, surgeon, cardiologist, neurologist etc (obviously I can't be all, but I like that I will have a hand in playing all those roles, much more so than a human doctor).

I'm not really the best person to answer, because I want to go into a pretty lucrative veterinary field. But I think that my gamble on vet med will pay off despite the huge amounts of debt I'm in. And I know that my job satisfaction will be immensely higher and that in itself is a huge draw for me

 

[CatPartay]

I hear ya! I am pretty sure I just failed orgo so I keep asking myself why am I doing this? The only reason I can come up with is that I know I will not be happy doing anything else and I will always wonder what if.

 

[annemal22]

It's a bit more of a puzzle to figure out what is wrong and there is a bit more freedom to try something different if something conventional isn't working. Their owners might still be ungrateful or rude, but I'll know I did my best to alleve the suffering of an animal, and that to me strikes me as being more significant than doing the same to a human.

I also like the fact that I will be primary care physician, dentist, surgeon, cardiologist, neurologist etc (obviously I can't be all, but I like that I will have a hand in playing all those roles, much more so than a human doctor).

I'm not really the best person to answer, because I want to go into a pretty lucrative veterinary field. But I think that my gamble on vet med will pay off despite the huge amounts of debt I'm in. And I know that my job satisfaction will be immensely higher and that in itself is a huge draw for me

GellaBella was spot on for me!
This exactly is why I keep applying. I have a great job-salary, benefits, etc. but I want more. I also want to go into a more lucrative field of vet med. For me it will be pathology or research so hopefully that will help with the enormous debt.

 

[stephano]

I hear ya! I am pretty sure I just failed orgo so I keep asking myself why am I doing this? The only reason I can come up with is that I know I will not be happy doing anything else and I will always wonder what if.

I guess it's the phase that everyone goes through at least once 😛... and i think it was a good way to remind myself once again why I want to be a vet! 🙂

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

GellaBella was spot on for me!
This exactly is why I keep applying. I have a great job-salary, benefits, etc. but I want more. I also want to go into a more lucrative field of vet med. For me it will be pathology or research so hopefully that will help with the enormous debt.

Just an FYI....research isn't very lucrative as a vet, unless you have a PhD as well (and you are usually required to get one - which means more time of putting your loans in forbearance). Researchers and more more eager to hire PhDs, who they can pay at lower salaries and who have much more specialized knowledge, than vets, even DVM/PhDs. If you want to do research, you really need to network as much as you possibly can. It's like being in zoo med - a very small and tough field where you have to fight to even be noticed. Can you do it? Yes. But it involves getting additional degrees and having to fight ahead of other PhDs and usually taking a lower salary than you would like.

Path is, well, lucrative I guess. In academia you look at 70-100, in industry ~150. Not hugely more than an established vet in a high-income-area practice, but better.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I hear ya! I am pretty sure I just failed orgo so I keep asking myself why am I doing this? The only reason I can come up with is that I know I will not be happy doing anything else and I will always wonder what if.

80% of orgo (probably more) you will not need to know in order to be a proper vet in general practice. It's just getting your ticket stamped - head down and power through 😉

 

[pooter]

-Because it's hard to get into and hard to get through. I've discovered that if I'm not pushing myself I go crazy.

-Because pulling a dog back from the jaws of death is flippin' awesome, even if it doesn't happen all that often.

-Because diagnostics are also awesome. I want to know what's going on.

-Because physiology amazes me the way artwork amazes normal people.

-I'm not known for making rational financial decisions. (Witness my turning down an IS seat.) I figure it'll work out one way or another. Also, I have no interest in being rich. Blame my Methodist upbringing.

This is probably very unhelpful, but it's as honest as I can make it.

 

[katryn]

The biggest thing that keeps me going is having looked into other fields and found them horribly lacking. If I picked a different career, even if it was easier to get into/cheaper/more profitable, I would be settling. I've settled a few times in my life on various things, it never turned out pretty. Therefore, I see no reason to settle for a lifetime of doing something I only half wanted to do as a back up.

Also, after a year and a half of working for someone who put cases in my lap and let me figure them out as though I was a vet, then spending a year working for someone who barely let me fill out blood work forms, I will never ever ever be happy with anything short of being a veterinarian in this field. If I didn't do vet med as a doctor, I'd have to flat out leave the animal care field.

So here I am, pursuing what I want and hoping it works out for the best.

 

[PetPony]

If it's too personal, you don't need to answer, but WHY did you turn aways an IS seat?!?

 

[Maddiegirl]

why choose this job vs something else that you could possibly do that's "better" than being a vet?

I am switching careers to become a vet because I hate my current job. While I realize that vet school costs a lot of money and the job market is down right now (what job market isn't down in this economy??), I feel like spending more time in a career that makes me miserable is doing a disservice to both me and by employers.

I, personally, have wanted to be a vet for a very long time and chose money over my passion years ago. I feel like I have suffered immensely because of this poor choice, and have learned, that while money is a necessary evil, it is not the most important thing in life. 😀

Instead of plugging away at a job I despise, I would rather help animals that cannot help themselves, teach people how to care for their animals, and maybe, just maybe, make a positive impact instead of shuffling papers from point A to point B just to collect a paycheck. I work for a group of attorneys, so I've pretty much already sold my soul to the devil...how bad can vet school be?!

 

[Maddiegirl]

80% of orgo (probably more) you will not need to know in order to be a proper vet in general practice. It's just getting your ticket stamped - head down and power through 😉

So glad to hear this!

I haven't taken orgo yet, but definitely dread it. I made it through physics 1 and 2 with the "head down" approach and got through that. Hopefully, I can survive orgo as well.

 

[Maddiegirl]

-Because it's hard to get into and hard to get through. I've discovered that if I'm not pushing myself I go crazy.

-Because physiology amazes me the way artwork amazes normal people.-

Me too!! If I'm not going mach 2 with my hair on fire, I'm not happy.

The physiology is my favorite part and what I most look forward to!

 

[pooter]

If it's too personal, you don't need to answer, but WHY did you turn aways an IS seat?!?

😳 Like I said--rationality: not my strong suit.

There were a bunch of factors. I was in a position where I felt like I *could* since I had no undergrad debt and could rely on some family support (not tuition, but things like health insurance and car insurance and occasional food). In Philly I'll be closer to said family, including an aunt and uncle who live within commuting distance and can offer me a couch if my financial situation ever gets too dire.

A lot of it came down to vibe, though. Penn accepted me right off the bat whereas VMRCVM called me off the waitlist after I'd already sent in a deposit. Penn just felt like a better "fit;" I was excited about the location and the hospital case load and the diversity of cases. I really want to see a feline renal transplant . . . 😀 I felt like I'd done the responsible thing for undergrad, turning down a school I'd really wanted to go to in favor of the one that left me with no debt, so this time around I wanted to follow my gut.

Hope that makes some sense . . . probably not though . . . 🙂

 

[MadMagnolia]

A combination of things already mentioned....

-I can't picture myself doing anything else.... it's just always been vet med.

-I love my job in a clinic, and the absolute best is when I'm working with this Dr who really challenges me by quizzing me, having me start appts, doing call-backs, etc. All this experience has really made kennel duty a disappointment and made me realize that I've got to be a vet to stay happy in this field that I love.

-Money isn't important to me. All I need is enough to be financially independent in some kind of living space with the one I love.

So basically if I can support myself in a career that keeps me interested and happy? That's it. I like school and I've always been tough on myself.... debt is just another challenge 😉

 

[libster06]

-Because it's hard to get into and hard to get through. I've discovered that if I'm not pushing myself I go crazy.

-Because pulling a dog back from the jaws of death is flippin' awesome, even if it doesn't happen all that often.

-Because diagnostics are also awesome. I want to know what's going on.

-Because physiology amazes me the way artwork amazes normal people.

-I'm not known for making rational financial decisions. (Witness my turning down an IS seat.) I figure it'll work out one way or another.
.

EVERYTHING RIGHT HERE. I could not have said it better myself. Every point is exactly how I feel about the profession and my decision.

&& As far as the bolded part: 👍👍👍! I am so glad to hear someone have the balls to be like "Honestly dude, I'm just gonna cross that bridge when I come to it." Thing is, its been done for years. We are not the first nor the last students to get into a huge amount of debt. Hell, people do it every day and aren't even in vet school, but they survive and so will we.

 

[PetPony]

Oh ok.. I thought you had turned down the seat earlier, not this year when you got accepted to Penn also. I thought it was your only offer and you didn't accept. Choosing one school over the other is easier to understand. 🙂

 

[petdrhpful2015]

As my mom always reminds me, "There's an a** for every seat..." Some people are willing to take on the immense stress of veterinary school and financial burden for a job that will make them happy every day. Some people can't handle that and will pursue a less-rigorous course to avoid those factors. For some, a "calling" cannot be ignored and no matter how hard you try to walk away, it will smack you in the face one way or another. Life is too short to worry about money and time...I will be old one day and at least I will be able to say that I'm old and a veterinarian.

 

[Dsmoody23]

I thought a lot about human medicine.

It would certainly be nicer to be able to exercise more choice about where I end up geographically for school. And it would be (relatively) easier to get the grades and experience required for med school, as opposed to the wild shennanegans and hoop-jumping for vet school.

And the paycheck wouldn't make me cry myself to sleep either.

Ultimately, I think treating humans would make me a horrible, jaded assh*le (or more of one, for my SDN fan club.)

It seems like 80-90% of human medical conditions are a direct result of some kind of poor personal choices or life decisions. For every 'out of the blue' undeserved disease you'd deal with, there are 99 obese, diabetic and alcoholic smokers.

I realized that I don't honestly care if these people get better, and don't care if I play a part in it. But a sick animal is another issue entirely. Regardless of the cause, they're essentially blameless for whatever condition they have. Even if it's a direct result of some idiot owner's neglect, it's still always a good deed to improve their condition.

That may be too cynical for some, but it's a pretty honest appraisal of my motivation.

 

[StartingoverVet]

Ultimately, I think treating humans would make me a horrible, jaded assh*le (or more of one, for my SDN fan club.)

I realized that I don't honestly care if these people get better, and don't care if I play a part in it. But a sick animal is another issue entirely. Regardless of the cause, they're essentially blameless for whatever condition they have. Even if it's a direct result of some idiot owner's neglect, it's still always a good deed to improve their condition.

That may be too cynical for some, but it's a pretty honest appraisal of my motivation.

Very entertaining and honest assessment.

 

[nyanko]

Researchers and more more eager to hire PhDs, who they can pay at lower salaries and who have much more specialized knowledge, than vets, even DVM/PhDs. If you want to do research, you really need to network as much as you possibly can. It's like being in zoo med - a very small and tough field where you have to fight to even be noticed. Can you do it? Yes. But it involves getting additional degrees and having to fight ahead of other PhDs and usually taking a lower salary than you would like.

I would argue that what I bolded is actually the only real thing that I would be concerned about going into research. It of course depends on your exact field within vet med and such (I take issue with classifying "research" as a field within itself, it is a part of every single field!), but a person who has the right knowledge, skills, connections and a decent publication record can get by without a Ph.D.

Know things, know people. Have something that makes you unique as a researcher, some skill you bring to the table that others in your field don't. And have passion for your field. It's really not quite so dire from what I've been exposed to.

It seems like 80-90% of human medical conditions are a direct result of some kind of poor personal choices or life decisions. For every 'out of the blue' undeserved disease you'd deal with, there are 99 obese, diabetic and alcoholic smokers.

I realized that I don't honestly care if these people get better, and don't care if I play a part in it. But a sick animal is another issue entirely. Regardless of the cause, they're essentially blameless for whatever condition they have. Even if it's a direct result of some idiot owner's neglect, it's still always a good deed to improve their condition.

And this is spot on my reason why I could never go into human med as well.

 

[LetItSnow]

Ultimately, I think treating humans would make me a horrible, jaded assh*le (or more of one, for my SDN fan club.)

C'mon, dude, don't take away what little entertainment we have in life by not letting US make the snarky remarks about you. 🙂

For me it's pretty simple. I love medicine. I love biology. I love animals. I love people. I want to stand at that four-way intersection and direct traffic because I'm as sure as I reasonably feel I can be that it will be tremendously rewarding to me. Sufficiently so that my family and I are willing to give up what otherwise was likely to be a life of glorious suburban luxury. (Well. My wife and I were willing. My kids didn't get a vote. Which, in all seriousness, weighed heavily into things but ultimately didn't override the decision.)

 

[breenie]

It seems like 80-90% of human medical conditions are a direct result of some kind of poor personal choices or life decisions. For every 'out of the blue' undeserved disease you'd deal with, there are 99 obese, diabetic and alcoholic smokers.

The optimist in me wanted to argue with you, but you're kinda right on.

 

[Kmeid]

80% of orgo (probably more) you will not need to know in order to be a proper vet in general practice. It's just getting your ticket stamped - head down and power through 😉

Two words. Thank. God. I survived ochem, and I took to appropriate beating. Orgo II left me with a C+ and a nasty attitude toward the subject all together. Glad to hear only a small portion of it is needed!

-Because it's hard to get into and hard to get through. I've discovered that if I'm not pushing myself I go crazy.

-Because pulling a dog back from the jaws of death is flippin' awesome, even if it doesn't happen all that often.

-Because diagnostics are also awesome. I want to know what's going on.

-Because physiology amazes me the way artwork amazes normal people.

-I'm not known for making rational financial decisions. (Witness my turning down an IS seat.) I figure it'll work out one way or another. Also, I have no interest in being rich. Blame my Methodist upbringing.

This is probably very unhelpful, but it's as honest as I can make it.

^ you hit the nail right on the head. Couldn't agree more. Especially the first part. As much as it drives me crazy, I do appreciate a good challenge. Bring it on Vet School. Lets tango.

For me it's pretty simple. I love medicine. I love biology. I love animals. I love people. I want to stand at that four-way intersection and direct traffic because I'm as sure as I reasonably feel I can be that it will be tremendously rewarding to me.

Brilliant, and 100% true. It's a field with the best of so many different worlds.

 

[Whyevernot55]

I want to go to vet school because I am INSANE.


Also, lots of other good reasons. 😉

Seriously though - if you thought there was something "better" you could be doing, you wouldn't (and shouldn't) go to vet school. I want to go to vet school because I love working in veterinary medicine, and I'd be miserable in human med - Dsmoody hit the nail on the head, there. I love going in to work every day, plain and simple, and every single day is a challenge. Everything else I have tried left me bored and/or unhappy at the end of the day.

 

[lareinesoleil]

Yes, job prospects have taken a downturn for most college graduates. Keep in mind that there is always a reliable fallback option - a steady job working at the frozen banana stand.

This is basically my personal philosophy, and hence my signature 😀

You are a man (woman? never can tell on here) after my own heart!

 

[psilovethomas]

Wow, this is totally me today. hahaha, love it.